Apparatus for cooling air



Nov. 8, 1960 F. L. DAVIS 2,959,032

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR Filed June 4, 195a F/oya L. Day/ls INVENTOR.

APPARATUS FOR COOLING AIR Floyd L. Davis, Tulsa, Okla, assignor to L. D. Stewart, Tulsa, Okla.

Filed June 4, 1958, Ser. No. 739,718

8 Claims. (Cl. 62314) The present invention relates to refrigeration apparatus, and more particularly to such apparatus for cooling air passing therethrough.

An object of the present invention is the provision of refrigeration apparatus adapted to cool air by passing air over a relatively cold solid.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of refrigeration apparatus adapted to cool air by the evaporation of a liquid.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of refrigeration apparatus adapted to cool air by. contact both with a relatively cold solid and with an evaporating liquid.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of refrigeration apparatus especially suitable for use in a moving vehicle to cool the air within the vehicle.

Finally, it is an object of the present invention to provide refrigeration apparatus which will be relatively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install, maintain, repair and operate, and rugged and durable in use.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure l is a perspective view of refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention;

Figure 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the structure of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view from the rear of an automobile with the trunk lid removed and showing the apparatus of the present invention in place in a typical installation; and

' Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 2.

Referring now to the drawing in greater detail, there is shown refrigeration apparatus indicated generally at 1 and comprising an outer container 3 having top and 'bottom walls 5 and 7, side walls 9 and 11 and end walls 13 and 15. An air inlet 17 opens through end wall 13 and an air outlet 19 opens through end wall 15.

In short, container 3 is a box, of which top wall 5 is a removable cover which detachably rests on the upper marginal edges of side walls 9 and 11 and end walls 13 and 15 and is removably located and held thereon by means of a flange 21 integral with top wall 5 and extending about all four marginal edges thereof. In unitary assembly with this cover is an inner container 23 disposed within outer container 3 and comprised of opposite end walls 25 and 26 which are spaced inwardly a substantial distance from end walls 13 and 15 respectively of outer container 3, and a rear side wall 27 and a bottom wall 29. Along its front edge, bottom wall 29 is provided with an integral inverted U-shaped channel 31 formed by bending and fitted over the upper marginal edge of a cutaway portion of front side wall 11 of outer container 3. Side and end walls 25, 26 and 27 are secured at their upper marginal edges to top wall 5 of container 3, so that top wall 5 is the top wall not only of 2,95,32 Patented Nov. 8, 1960 outer container 3 but also of inner container 23. Side and end walls 25, 26 and 27 are secured at their lower marginal edges to the rear and end marginal edges of bottom wall 29. As indicated above, top wall 5 is located on the remainder of outer container 3 by flange 21, and further support to the assembly and the proper location of inner container 23 therein is afforded at the lower front portion of the inner container by the engagement of inverted channel 31 with wall 11 and at the rear of inner container 23 by the presence of insulation 33 between rear wall 27 of inner container 23 and rear Wall 9 of outer container 3. A door 35 is pivotally mounted along its lower edge to inverted channel 31 for vertical swinging movement and opens outward and is releasably secured in closed position by latches 37 carried by door 35 and selectively engageable in closed position with the inner side of flange 21.

The purpose of the structure described thus far is to cool air which enters through inlet 17, passes through outer container 3 exteriorly of inner container 23 and leaves through outlet 19, in the direction indicated by the arrows in Figure 2, by heat exchange with the bottom and end walls of inner container 23. To this end, it is intended that inner container 23 be at least partly filled with a cooling medium such as water ice or solid carbon dioxide commonly called Dry Ice. The bottom and end walls of inner container 23 are cooled by con tact with the cooling medium and the air in turn is cooled by contact with the exterior of these walls. In order to remove the water which melts from the water ice or the carbon dioxide gas from the Dry Ice, a discharge conduit 39 is provided which opens through bottom wall 29 of inner container 23 and extends through wall 11 of outer container 3 toward its discharge end.

The refrigeration apparatus of the present invention is especially well suited for use in motor vehicles to cool the interiors thereof; and in Figure 3 the apparatus is shown mounted in an automobile 41 on a shelf within the trunk compartment. A flexible intake duct 43 communicates with inlet 17 and has an intake end opening within the interior of automobile 41 above and behind the rear seat thereof, while a similar outlet duct 45 communicates with outlet 19 and discharges within automobile 41 above and behind the rear seat thereof. A fan 47 in the form of a centrifugal squirrel cage blower is disposed in outlet duct 45 and draws the air along the path shown by the arrows in Figure 2. Fan 47 is an electric fan which draws from the battery of the automobile. Discharge conduit 39 for the spent cooling medium extends through the floor of the trunk and discharges beneath the vehicle, as seen in Figure 4.

The refrigeration apparatus of the present invention is also adapted to cool the air by liquid evaporation. As best seen in Figure 2, an air-pervious wick member 49 is disposed in outer container 3 below inner container 23 and between bottom walls 7 and 29 of these containers. In effect, Wick member 49 is disposed in a container having upper and lower walls corresponding to walls 29 and 7, respectively. Wick member 49 is in the form of a sheet which extends substantially full width of container 3 between walls 9 and 11 thereof and has a sinuous configuration made up of a plurality of downwardly opening sinuosities 51 which contact wall 29 along a plurality of spaced parallel lines extending transversely of the length of container 3, and a plurality of upwardly opening sinuosities 53 which contact wall 7 along a plurality of spaced parallel lines transverse to the length of container 3. Wick member 49 may be of glass fiber, stiff canvas, loose felt, or other material having good capillarity and resiliency and providing a desirably small impediment to the passage of air through a plurality of thicknesses thereof when wet. Thus, wick member 49 is maintained in compression between walls 7 and 29, this compression assuring that the spaced parallel lines of contact of the Wick member with walls 7 and 29 will be maintained and that the position of the wick member between these walls will be preserved. Of course, when the present application speaks of lines of contact, it is to be understood that these lines may be of substantial width.

A plurality of baflles 55 is secured to wall 7 and extends upwardly therefrom and terminates a substantial distance short of wall 29. Baffies 55 are in the form of fiat plates or strips which extend substantially full width of container 3 between walls 9 and 11. Each baffie 55 is disposed in a plane which includes one of the lines of contact between wick member 49 and wall 29. These same planes are parallel to'but s'paced equal distances between the lines of contact of wick member 49 with wall 7.

Upwardly open compartments are thus-defined between bafiies 55, and it is intended that these compartments be partially filled with water as a liquid evaporative cooling medium, sinuosities 53 extending into the Water so that the wick action of wick member 49 will Wet sinuosities 51. The air passing through the thicknesses of wick member 49 represented by sinuosities 51 will be cooled by evaporation of the water. So long as any water remains on the bottom wall 7, this wick action and cooling action will continue. It should be noted that the purpose of terminating baffles 55 short of wall 29 is to provide an air passageway above the upper ends of the baffles and below wall 29. It should be particularly noted that bafiies 55 prevent the splashing or slopping of the water on bottom wall 7 upon movement of the refrigeration apparatus as when the apparatus is installed in a vehicle and the vehicle is in motion. Moreover, baffles 55 extend into and locate sinuosities 51, while at the same time sinuosities 53 extend between and are thus located by adjacent pairs of baffles 55.

In order to assure that the water level in all the compartments be uniform and thus to prevent localized drying of the wick, small openings 57 are provided through each baffle 55. These openings permit restricted fluid flow therethrough so that water may flow gradually from compartment to compartment to equalize the water level; however, these openings are not of sufficient size to destroy the anti-splashing effect of the baflles. Should a limited amount of splashing nevertheless occur despite the presence of baffles 55, a further baflie 59 is provided which is secured within container 3 to end wall 15 marginally of the lower portion of outlet 19. Baffle 59 thus protects fan 47 against wetting. Obviously, if fan 47 were located in intake duct 43, then bafile 59 would be similarly positioned adjacent inlet 17. In either case, bafiie 59 is inclined toward top wall and toward the opposite end wall of container 3.

Provision is also made for supplying water to the compartments between bafiles 55. Specifically, a filling opening extends through wall 11 of container 3 and is selectively opened or closed by a removable filling cap 61. There is thus provided a Water inlet, and this inlet is located below the tops of baffles 55. In this way, the compartments between baflies 55 cannot be overfilled, since any excess water will run out through the filling opening so that the desired water level is maintained. Upon filling, the water passes from compartment to compartment on each side of the filling opening between baflies 55 by passage through openings 57.

The combination of inner container 23 for cooling the air by indirect heat exchange with a solid cooling medium and wick member 49 for cooling the air by evaporation of a liquid is byno means a mere aggregation of two different kinds of cooling devices each of which performs merelyits own separate function. Instead, the two types of cooling devices enter into uniquely novel and cooperative interrelationships in a number of ways. For example, it should be noted that the door 35 which comprises the front wall of inner container 23 also comprises a portion of the front wall of outer container 3, so that access can be had to the inner container without disturbing the outer container. Moreover, top wall 5 serves as a common top wall for both the inner and the outer container. Moreover, the removability of the inner container, whose front Wall is a portion of the front wall of the outer container, in unitary assembly with the entire top wall of the outer container permits ready access to wick member 49 and baffles 55 for the insertion, removal and proper placement of wick member 49 and the ready cleaning of the device. Also, inner container 23, and particularly bottom wall 29 thereof, serves as a means for properly positioning and compressing wick member 49 within outer container 3; and at the same time, the spacing of the end walls 25 and 26 of inner container'23 from the adjacent end walls 13 and 15 of outer container 3 enables the location of inlet 17 and outlet 19 in positions such that they cannot be blocked by the end portions of wick member 49. This same spaced relationship also affords a fulther measure of protection against splashing of the water into either inlet 17 or outlet 19. Furthermore, the location of baffie 59 as seen in Figure 2 is conveniently accommodated by this relationship of parts so that the spacing of the end walls of inner container 23 from those of outer container 3 enables the location of baffle 59 between a pair of these walls and above a portion of the water on bottom wall 7 in a desirably compact relationship. But perhaps the most significant operative interrelationship of the two types of cooling devices in the same apparatus is the interrelationship of their heat exchange functions. Specifically, it will be noted that entering air first strikes end wall 25 of inner container 23 and is somewhat precooled so that it does not cause excessive drying of the wick at the right end thereof as seen in Figure 2. Then, as the air passes through the folds of the wick, it is cooled not only by evaporation but also by contact with the same bottom wall 29 that also maintains the correct position of wick member 49. Finally, as the air leaves the last fold of wick member 49, it again contacts inner container 23 at end wall 26 thereof so that a portion of any excess moisture in the air tends to condense thereon. Moreover, bafiie 59 helps direct the exiting air against end wall 26.

In view of the foregong description, it will be obvious that all the initially recited objects of the present invention have been achieved.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated in connection with preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, as those skilled in this art will readily understand. For example, it is obvious that inner container 23 need not be imperforate but maybe provided with an opening through a lower portion thereof. In this way, when this compartment is packed with water ice, the ice will melt and drip down into a compartment between bafiiles 55. There would be no need to fill the compartments with water other than that which melts from the ice, and discharge conduit 39 would then replace filling cap 61 as an overflow conduit. Of course, only a single drain opening through the bottom of inner container 23 would suffice to permit water' to drip from that compartment into one of the compartments between baffles 55, the water then flowing through openings 57 into the other compartments between baflies 55'. These and other modifications and variations are considered to be within the purview and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. Refrigeration apparatus comprising an outer container having a bottom wall and opposite end walls and an inlet through one end wall and an outlet through the other end wall, a removable cover comprising the top wall of the outer container, an inner container within the outer container and having a bottom wall and opposite end walls spaced from the bottom and end walls of the outer container, said cover comprising the top wall of and being in unitary assembly with the inner container, and means for moving air through the inlet and through the outer container exteriorly of the inner container between the respective bottom and end walls of the inner and outer containers and through the outlet whereby the air will be cooled by contact with the bottom and end walls of the inner continer when a cooling medium is disposed within the inner container, a side wall of the inner container comprising a door, the door comprising a portion of the side wall of the outer container.

2. Refrigeration apparatus comprising an outer container having a bottom wall and opposite end walls and an inlet through one end wall and an outlet through the other end wall, an inner container within the outer container and having a bottom wall and opposite end walls spaced from the bottom and end walls of the outer container, an air-pervious wick member disposed in a sinuous configuration between the bottom Walls of the inner and outer containers and extending substantially full width between the side walls of the outer container and contacting each of the bottom walls of the inner and outer containers along a plurality of spaced parallel lines disposed transversely of the length of the outer container, and means for moving air through the inlet and through the outer container exteriorly of the inner container between the respective bottom and end walls of the inner and outer containers through a plurality of thicknesses of the wick member and through the outlet whereby the air will be cooled by contact with the bottom and end walls of the inner container when a cooling medium is disposed within the inner container and air will be cooled by evaporation from the Wick member when a quantity of water is supported by the bottom wall of the outer container.

3. Refrigeration apparatus as claimed in claim 2, a side wall of the inner container comprising a door, the door comprising a portion of a side wall of the outer container.

4. Refrigeration apparatus comprising a container having spaced end walls, side walls and upper and lower walls and having an inlet adjacent one end wall and an outlet adjacent the other end wall, an air-pervious wick member disposed in a sinuous configuration between the upper and lower walls and extending substantially full width between the side walls and contacting each of the upper and lower walls along a plurality of spaced parallel lines disposed transversely of the length of the container, and means for moving air through the inlet and through the container through a plurality of thicknesses of the wick member and through the outlet whereby the air will be cooled by evaporation from the wick member when a quantity of water is supported by the lower wall of the container.

5. Refrigeration apparatus as claimed in claim 4, and a plurality of battles extending upwardly from the lower wall of the container and terminating a substantial distance short of the upper wall, the baffles being disposed parallel to said lines and extending substantially full width of the container and disposed one in each of a plurality of the downwardly opening sinuosities of the wick member.

6. Refrigeration apparatus as claimed in claim 4, one of the inlet and outlet extending through one end wall of the container, and a baffle secured to said one end wall marginally of the lower portion of said one of the inlet and outlet and inclined upwardly and toward the other end wall, to exclude water from said one of the inlet and outlet.

7. Refrigeration apparatus as claimed in claim 5, the baffies having small openings therethrough to permit limited liquid flow therethrough to equalize the water level in the various compartments between the bafiles.

8. Refrigeration apparatus as claimed in claim 5, the container having a water inlet through a side wall thereof and below the tops of the bafiles.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 941,187 Bunnell Nov. 23, 1909 1,035,492 Subert Aug. 13, 1912 1,196,169 Stillman Aug. 29, 1916 1,369,775 Bliss Mar. 1, 1921 1,394,924 Macfadden Oct. 25, 1921 1,836,193 Silvers Dec. 15, 1931 2,002,273 Parker May 21, 1935 2,111,070 Kubias Mar. 15, 1938 2,196,310 Kalin Apr. 9, 1940 2,249,202 Glenn July 15, 1941 

